Packing container having cutting means



Filed May 7, 1953 A II! 11:11.,

R: H m R mmu V fi N T m 0/ E Gm mam United States Patent Office Patented Sept. 13, 1955 PACKING CONTAINER HAVING CUTTING IVIEANS George A. T omik, Doncaster, England Application May 7, 1953, Serial No. 353,598

Claims priority, application Great Britain May 20, 1952 9 Claims. (Cl. 3122) This invention relates to an improved type of container for packing substances or materials of the kind which initially, or at some stage in the course of manufacture, are of liquid or semi-liquid consistency and from the nature of the substance or material by refrigeration or other process may be converted either temporarily or for marketing, to a solid or semi-solid consistency. More in particular, this invention relates to a packing container comprising a plurality of sections separable from each other including means for severing the packed material within each section from the packed material in adjacent sections.

The improved container according to this. invention is particularly applicable for commodities, such as icecream, butter, margarine, lard, cheese, pastes, soaps and similar type materials. Industrial applications include waxes, putty, petrolatum and other products of high consistency.

It is well known to market such materials in containers made of metal, cardboard, stifi paper or the like, which may be suitably waxed treated or coated, but the filling of large numbers of individual containers involves the use of special and expensive machinery or the employment of more or less skilled personnel for pouring an accurately regulated amount of the commodity into each container ready for sealing by the application of a cap on the container. Furthermore, particularly in commodities having market requirements for relatively small individually packed amounts, this invention materially reduces the manufacturers packing costs as less packing machinery is required to pack equivalent amounts of the product;

It is a principal object of this invention to provide a container comprising a plurality of smaller individual sections or tubular shaped members whereby after filling said container with a product, the sections including the product therein contained may be severed from each other.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container comprising a plurality of tubular shaped members fitted together in telescoping relation whereby the con tainer including its component tubular shaped members may be filled with product by one metering operation.

A further object is to provide a container according to the preceding objects whereby each tubular shaped member is provided at one end with cutting means for severing the product therein contained permitting its separation from its adjacent tubular shaped member.

A still further object is to provide a container according to the preceding object whereby the means for severing product comprises a looped flexible cutting element disposed in a transverse plane, close to the inner periphery of the upper end portion of each tubular shaped member and having at least one part of the cutting element projecting through at least one aperture in the upper end portion of each tubular shaped member whereby upon withdrawing the cutting element through an aperture in the tubular shaped member severs the product therein contained from the next tubular shaped member adjacent thereto. 7

A different object is to provide a container which may be filled with product in a one-step metering operation, shipped to. marketing destination where it may be conveniently severed into smaller portions by simple manual operation with the manufactured product still therein contained.

A still different object is to provide a conical section shaped container comprising a plurality of sections whereby the sections are separable from each other and adapted to fit one inside another according to size so that a minimized volume is required for shipping and storing unfilled containers.

These and other desirable objects inherent in and encompassed by the invention will be more readily understood from the ensuing description, the appended claims and the annexed drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a part sectional elevation showing an assembled tubular container comprising a plurality of sections or tubular shaped members stacked one above another.

Figure 2 is a top plan view corresponding to Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1 illustrating a construction of an aperture or hole in the wall of each tubular shaped member.

With continued reference to the drawing and Figure l in particular, there is shown an assembled container 10 comprising a plurality of individual open end tubular shaped members 11 stacked one upon another. While the drawings illustrate the container 10 as being tubular or cylindricallyshaped, it should be understood that the cross-section of the tube may take the form of any geometric configuration, such as that of a polygon including square, rectangle or even oval shape as may be convenient.- Each tubular shaped member 11 is comprised of an enclosing wall 12 provided atone end with an outwardly flanged or enlarged open end portion 13 forming a socket 14 for receiving the non-flanged or open end 15 of an-adjacent tubular shaped member 11. At the inner end of socket 114 each tubular member11 is formed with symmetrically disposed holes or apertures 16 around the periphery of the outwardly flanged or enlarged open end portion 13 through which looped portions 18 of a flexible cutting element 17 are disposed within each tubular member 11. The major portion of the flexible cutting'element 17 is disposed adjacent the inner periphery of socket 14 and'in a plane adjacent the non-flanged or open end 15 of an adjacent tubular member inserted into socket 14. Preferably, when the container 10 is assembled together by stacking individual tubular members 11 one upon another as illustrated in Figure l to form an elongated tube, each flexible cutting element 17 is located between the small or non-flanged end 15 of each tubular member 11 and a shoulder 19 formed between the enlarged part or outwardly flanged portion 13 of the adjacent tubular member 11 and the body thereof. Conveniently, eight holes or apertures 16 are provided around the. periphery of outwardly flanged or enlarged open end portion 13 and four symmetrically disposed looped portions 18 of the flexible cutting element 17 may extend sulficiently therethrough so that any one thereof may be employed for pulling the entire cutting element 17 through the commodity product within the container 10, while at the other four positions the looped portions 20 of the cutting element17' may protrude only sufl'lciently to locate the element 17 in a fixed plane. Of course, the cutting element 17 may be positioned on the inner periphery of the outwardly flanged end portion 13 by. the use of an adherent coating which is inert with respect to the commoditypacked. V

The flexible element 17 may be endless and may be comprised of any suitable material inert with respect to the commodity packed, such as cord, thread, string, chain or metal wire of any diameter or gauge, such that its tensile strength is sufi'icient to cut the commodity product packed without rupture thereof.

As shown in Figure 3, the holes or apertures '16 are adapted to receive the flexible cutting element 17 there through to form looped portion 18 thereof. In order to prevent the fracture of the material from which the container is made, these holes 16 may be reinforced by folding back portion 21 of the material which is displaced in piercing each hole 16. Of course, such reinforcement of holes may be only necessary where the enclosing wall 12 of each tubular shaped member 11 is made of such materials as stiff paper or cardboard, plastic or very soft metal, Whereas reinforcement of holes 16 may be unnecessary Where harder metal or glass is employed.

Of course, it should be understood that while Figure 1 illustrates an assembled container, wherein the tubular members 11 are shown to be of substantially the same dimensions with respect to each other, the tubular members may not necessarily have equivalent dimensions particularly with reference to height. Furthermore, the assembled container may, for example, be shaped in the form of a conical section whereby the top or uppermost tubular member would be sufficiently large to allow its adjacent tubular member to telescope within it by inserting the adjacent tubular member, bottom first, into the upper end of the top tubular member and so on until all tubular members are housed by the top tubular member. Thus, volume requirements for shipping and storage of unassembled and unfilled containers may be materially reduced by a small dimensional change in the assembled container from that illustrated in Figure 1.

In use, a plurality of tubular members 11 are assembled one on top of another, as shown in Figure l, to form an elongated tubular shaped container of any suitable height, which is closed at the bottom by means of a cap or closure member 22 adapted to fit over the non-flanged end of the bottom tubular member 11. A commodity product in liquid or semi-liquid condition is metered and poured into the container 10 to fill the same, and after refrigeration or other treatment to convert the liquid or semi-liquid substance to a solid or semi-solid condition, the column of solid or semi-solid substance is subdivided and the tubular shaped members 11 successively separated by pulling the flexible cutting element or drawstrings 17 at 18 withdrawing some through one of holes 16, starting at either end of the container. As each tubular shaped member 11 is separated from the container 10, a bottom cap 22 may be applied thereto and the top may be sealed by inserting a suitable sealing disc or plate closure member 23 to seat in the bottoms of socket 14 and thereby seal the holes from which the draw-string or flexible cutting element 17 has been removed.

The invention also may be of particular utility in connection with the marketing of ice-cream, it being evident that a number of filled tubular members 11 may be purchased in the form of a simple container 10 Which is more conveniently transportable and readily divisible into units for consumption as required.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment hereinbefore described. For example, the receptacles may be otherwise formed to fit one into the other to form a tubular container stack. Thus, instead of providing each tubular shaped member with an enlarged flange socket portion at one end,

receptacles of tapering form may be employed in which case it is preferred to form the containers with suitably disposed circumferential ribs serving as stops for positioning the smaller end of one tubular member within the larger end of the other so as to lie close to the drawstring cutting means which, it will be appreciated, is in all cases disposed in or adjacent the larger end portion of each tubular shaped member.

Having thus described an embodiment of the invention, it can now be seen that the objects of the invention have been fully achieved and it must be understood that changes and modifications may be made which do not depart from the spirit of the invention, as disclosed nor from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A container for packing therein a substance having a semi-solid consistency comprising a plurality of tubular shaped members stacked one upon another to form an elongated tube, each of said tubular members having an enclosing wall forming a first open end and a second open end, said first open end comprising an enlarged open end portion adapted to receive detachably a second open end of an adjacent tubular member in engaging relation, each of said tubular members being adapted for receiving a closure member on at least one end thereof, a closure member mounted on at least one of said tubular members, cutting means including a flexible cutting element on at least one of said tubular members, said cutting element being supported internally between the first open end and second open end thereof and movable in a lateral direction to sever said substance to permit separation of said tubular member and substance therein contained from said adjacent tubular member.

2. A container for packing therein a substance having a semi-solid consistency comprising a plurality of tubular shaped members stacked one upon another to form'an elongated tube, each of said tubular members having an enclosing wall forming a first open end and a second open end, said first open end comprising an outwardly flanged portion forming a socket adapted to receive a second open end of an adjacent tubular member in socket engaging relation, each of said tubular members being adapted for receiving a closure member on at least one end thereof, a closure member mounted on at least one of said tubular members, cutting means including a flexible cutting element on at least one of said tubular members, said cutting element being supported internally between the first open end and second open end thereof and movable in a lateral direction to sever said substance for separating said tubular member and substance therein contained from said adjacent tubular member.

3. A container for packing therein a substance having a semi-solid consistency comprising a plurality of tubular shaped members stacked one upon another to form an elongated tube, each of said tubular members having an enclosing wall forming a first open end and a second open end, said first open end comprising an enlarged open end portion adapted to receive a second open end of an adjacent tubular member in telescope engaging relation, each of said tubular members being adapted for receiving a closure member on at least one end thereof, a closure member mounted on at least one of said tubular members, cutting means including a flexible cutting element on at least one of said tubular members, said cutting element being supported internally between the first open end and second open end thereof and movable inn lateral direction to sever said substance for separating said tubular member and substance therein contained from said adjacent tubular member.

4. A container for packing therein a substance having a semi-solid consistency comprising a plurality of tubular shape members stacked one upon another to form. an elongated tube, each of said tubular members having an enclosing wall forming a first open end and a second open end, said first open end comprising an enlarged open end portion adapted to receive detachably a second open end of an adjacent tubular member in engaging relation, each of said tubular members being adapted for receiving a closure member on at least one end thereof, a closure member mounted on at least one of said tubular members, cutting means including a flexible cutting element supported internally in said enlarged open end portion in at least one of said tubular members in a transverse plane adjacent a plane formed by a second open end of an adjacent tubular member and movable in a lateral direction to sever said substance for separating said tubular member and substance therein contained from said adjacent tubular member.

5. A container according to claim 4 wherein said enlarged open end portion is provided with at least one transverse hole therethrough coextensive with said transverse plane and said flexible cutting element being positioned on the inner periphery of said larger end portion substantially in said transverse plane and having a portion of said flexible cutting element extending through said hole whereby said flexible cutting element is removable laterally through said hole upon severing of said substance by said flexible cutting element.

6. A container for packing a substance having a semisolid consistency comprising a plurality of cylindrically shaped members stacked one upon another to form an cally shaped members, said first open end being provided with at least one transverse hole therethrough, said transverse hole having its center substantially in a transverse plane adjacent and substantially parallel to a plane formed by a second open end of an adjacent cylindrically shaped member, cutting means disposed substantially in said transverse plane on the inner periphery of said outwardly flanged end portion, said cutting means being comprised of a flexible cutting element having at least one portion thereof extending through said transverse hole and adapted to be withdrawn through said transverse hole in a lateral direction to sever said substance therein contained from said adjacent cylindrically shaped member.

7. A container according to claim 6 wherein said outwardly flanged end portion is provided with a plurality of transverse holes having their respective centers substantially in said transverse plane for positioning said flexible cutting element substantially in said transverse plane.

8. A container according to claim 6 wherein the flexible cutting element is comprised of a metallic wire.

9. A container according to claim 6 wherein said transverse hole is reinforced to prevent rupture of the en closing wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 187,945 Waterbury Feb. 27,'l877 276,199 Street Apr. 24, 188' 776,776 Dietz Dec. 6, 1904 797,689 Kellogg Aug. 22, 1905 

